Swanscombe at the Double

I decided to spend two consecutive mornings on the Swanscombe Peninsula. Tucked away behind the Ebbsfleet industrial estate, this headland is made up of two sites, Black Duck Marsh and Botany Marsh, which offer a variety of habitats and an abundance of life to find.

Parking up at Greenhithe and walking back down, you hit Black Duck first. This area consists of a long open grassland stretch, with small mudflats on the Thames side and an extensive reedbed on the other. As you would expect, there is the usual assortment of waders, with Oystercatchers and Turnstones making up the majority, alongside Gulls and Cormorants. 

Swallows and House Martins nest in the Ingress Park housing estate over summer and can be seen whizzing around the area, occasionally dropping down to feed alongside the Wagtails on the riverfront.

At the edge of the reedbed a small pond is located as the plants open up, where I found a large ensemble of Marsh Frogs happily singing away. The usual bird life, including warblers, gulls and herons can be seen, and Water Rails scurry about. These shy birds are quite similar to Moorhens and Coots but give themselves away with a truly blood-curdling call, a lot like a startled pig squeal. I didn't manage to spot him but the sound is unlike anything else and could only have been one thing.

Botany is more open grassland with a few small streams, and sheltered from the river. Cattle graze on a few areas, and the circular walk is popular with dog owners and joggers. Wildlife is still abundant here, with the usual passerines along with Little Egrets and Grey Herons.

A group of Ravens have also taken up residence, and can be seen patrolling from the power pylons, much to the displeasure of the local Lapwing population. Although I do see a fair few Ravens here in winter, having them nest in the area is still relatively rare.

One thing immediately noticeable on this site is the amount of refugia laid out for reptiles, the place is literally covered. Some of them are perhaps a little too out in the sun, and even by 9-30am they were crazy-hot to touch. I'm definitely thinking of taking an evening trip to see if more can be found as the sun starts to dip, and these mats are cooler and hence more tolerable for the animals I'm hoping to find, along with the chances of spotting some roosting birds and hunting owls, but that's a trip for another day.

I did have some joy, with two Grass Snakes and a few Viviparous Lizards on Wednesday's visit, and several lizards on Thursday's slightly earlier walk. Due to how hot they were getting the previous day I figured trying my luck about an hour earlier would yield better results the next day, but heavy cloud until about half 8 ruined any chances of catching them out basking. I'll likely leave it at least one or two weeks before trying again so as not to disturb them too much.

UK Grass Snakes were recently reclassified as Western Barred Grass Snakes, there was a fair bit of confusion surrounding this and it was widely reported as a fourth UK species. However, they were simply upgraded from a subspecies of Natrix Natrix (as they were previously known) to a full species (Natrix Helvetica) in their own right, and it got lost in translation. Apparently there are a few locations where the darker mainland variety can be found, but these are escapees or otherwise introduced, or simply misidentified due to the variable nature of the markings.

These guys are totally harmless, and if you pick them up are likely to struggle and squirm before settling down, but they simply do not bite. They will emit an absolutely fowl smelling musk from their cloaca as a defence mechanism though, if you've ever experienced it then you will know just how bad it is! To be fair, if you are a fox or similar and you grab one, and it musks in your mouth, you are definitely dropping it, and then they're off like a shot! Occasionally they will also play dead as a last resort, rolling over whilst gaping their mouths and hanging their tongues out, as some of their predators will only take live prey.

There's been a lot of talk over the last few years about converting this site to a new amusement park, and leaving aside the traffic issues it will create in an already congested area, we should all be doing what we can to stop this and preserving the great wildlife of this hidden gem, like the Reed Warbler pictured above, who seemed to follow me around Botany for most of the morning.

As ever, I'll choose my favourite photo of the trip, this time I'm going with this yearling Grass Snake (modelled by the missus before you question my choices in nail polish 😂). He did his best to act tough and scare us off but if anything just made himself more cute!

Thanks for reading, until the next one!

Round Up

So as I expected I'm ridiculously bad at keeping this a regular thing. Since the lockdown has been relaxed though I've been able to go further afield than normal, and spend more time in different locations.

There's a strange kind of phenomena going on at the local wildlife areas though, with almost simultaneously less people about as they go back to work, and more people hanging out to sunbathe etc. I'm not sure how that sentence makes sense but I hope you know what I mean.

On a visit to Cliffe Pools the first thing I noticed was thankfully a lack of kids zipping about on motorbikes. Although I'm sure they see it as harmless fun it's no good for the wildlife, particularly ground nesting birds, and I'm hoping it hasn't affected the numbers of breeding Lapwing and Avocet too much.

The Marsh Frogs are back in force, these aren't a native species but can be seen (and definitely heard) frequently in North Kent Marshland. Listen out for a loud throaty warble, almost like a Kookaburra, coming from the streams and ponds and you're bound to find them. Striking green and a little larger than our usual Common Frogs, they don't seem to be doing too much damage to the ecosystem so for now are welcome!

As summer rolls around I'm starting to see a lot more passerines, including this handsome Sedge Warbler. Lots of warblers, pipits and buntings are always flitting around the reeds and path edges, and you can usually tick off a decent amount of species.

Cliffe is one of the best places locally to see plentiful birds of prey, with Kestrels, Buzzards and Marsh Harriers, like this female, plentiful. Over winter there are usually Peregrines and Merlins whizzing about, and I've clocked one Hobby there so far this summer.

One thing I am aiming to do this year is improve my Gull ID, especially when it comes to rarities that can be easily missed. Cliffe has a large roost of Black Headed and Mediterranean Gulls on the South Pools, and although similar at first, you can clearly see here the difference, with the Meds at the top having a much darker hood and brighter bill/legs compared to the much more common Black Heads in the front.

I've also spent a fair amount of time near Gillingham, which continues to be a hot spot for Adders if you look in the right places. I've worked out vague territories for a few females that I can now usually guarantee seeing in different spots, and the males tend to cruise about as expected. They're quite confident animals, and don't mind me getting close enough for photos, although they soon let me know if I push my luck, with a quick hiss before they slip off into the undergrowth.

You can start to see the blueing of the eyes in this female, indicating that she's in her shed cycle. Snakes have a transparent scale over their eye instead of a regular eyelid, and when they go through shedding this separates from the new layer beneath. They can't see too well when in this stage and are best left alone as they're likely to be a little nervous and defensive. 

Sure enough the next time I visited I found her old skin near her usual basking spot.

I was lucky enough to grab this male Slow Worm out in the open, and you can really see the blue spots which tend to be a big giveaway of their gender, along with the lack of dorsal stripes usually present on females.

Also of note I spotted a Common Seal splashing about in the Medway, these animals spend more time than you may first imagine in rivers, particular estuaries, and you can often spot them on the Thames and Medway. Another welcome sign of summer, the Cuckoos are calling from what seems like every angle, and Swallows, Swifts and House Martins are starting to show flitting around the fields and marshes.

As per the last post, my photo of the week is again an Adder. They're quickly overtaking Red Kites as my favourite UK animal, they're just gorgeous, if a little understood!

Until the next time! Which I hope will be sooner than this one! 

Motney Hill, Gillingham

Eager to try out my new camera today, so headed early doors to Gillingham for a walk away from the crowds. Despite the lockdown still being enforced it seems my favoured spots are overrun with people at the moment, which makes wildlife watching on the 'daily exercise' harder than it used to be. I figured if I got there for half seven I could avoid the dog walkers and family strolls and boy was it rewarding!

 I parked up at the western edge of Riverside Country Park, and took a walk across to Motney Hill and back. Although I've never had much luck with birds on this site, reptiles are usually plentiful, and today no less than 9 Adders made an appearance.

These snakes are easier to spot than others due to their habit of hanging out on path edges, rather than secretly tucked away, although they are very quick to get out the way once they realise you're there. You can usually spot their basking areas on field edges and scrubby plots, with pockets of crushed vegetation providing the ideal platform for them to soak up the sun.

Me and the missus also got a hat full of Slow Worms, and one Grass Snake that was unfortunately far too quick to get a shot of. 

I did mention that I've never really had much joy with birding on the site, essentially it's one long path between the Medway Estuary and farmland, and for such a decent habitat waders and the like seem in short supply. It's a great spot for Brent Geese, but there is rarely much else save for Gulls and Shelduck.

However, the other side of the main footpath was teeming with passerines, and on a tip off from another birder I got my first Turtle Dove of the year. These once numerous summer migrants have suffered a crazy decline in the last 30 years, mostly due to lack of suitable habitat and shooting on the continent and there's now very few places to see them. A lot of work goes in to preserving this iconic species and hopefully they can stage a comeback soon.

Spring is in full force when the Nightingales start singing, this one stayed out for just long enough for a good view before ducking back into cover. Not much bigger than a Robin, and quite dull to look at, but these birds make serious music. 

Warblers were plentiful, with Blackcaps, Whitethroats and ChiffChaffs all around, along with various Finches, Robins and House Sparrows.

Not to be outdone by the Nightingale, this Song Thrush gave it the beans whenever I came near his tree, I've always found their calls like scat-jazz, they don't seem to follow any pattern or motiff, just improvise and chatter over everything else!

Today's mystery bird is this Warbler. Snapped a pic thinking it was just a posing Whitethroat, but on closer inspection the underside is quite red/buff and the eye is certainly red. Got me thinking possible Dartford Warbler but I'm pretty sure you don't find them here!

Edit, 100% a Dunnock in odd lighting, egg on my face

Photo of the day surely has to go to this female Adder, she sat there patiently with me, made no attempt to flee, and just let me enjoy her company. Media hype comes out every summer when a few unfortunate dogs get bitten, but these snakes are very peaceful if given appropriate room. Most bites occur when people try to muck with them, or when dogs unwittingly corner them. Simple solution is to leave them alone and keep dogs on leads and away from the scrub!

Until the next one!

Introduction

Before I get started, I thought I'd introduce myself and let you know what to expect. I'm Sam, I'm the right side of thirty (just) and I've always had a massive interest in the natural world. I'm based in Gravesend in NW Kent, which on the surface doesn't seem like the ideal location, but I'm literally surrounded by great places and wildlife. From the marshes on the Thames and Medway Estuaries to varied farm and woodland further South, there's a great deal to see and do.

Barred Grass Snake

What I'm aiming to do is keep a vague record of what I see and do, both on my own and also whilst volunteering with the RSPB (which has given me access to some really cool and otherwise off limits areas). I don't want it to sound like a diary or anything, just looking to highlight the brilliant life we have just under our noses.

Adder

You can expect a lot of content surrounding birds and reptiles, these are my big two passions but mammals and insects of note will be highlighted. Most of my trips are pretty close, with locations such as RSPB Cliffe Pools and Northward Hill, Elmley Reserve on Sheppey, and Shorne Woods. Occasionally I do travel further afield, and I'm planning a few in the near future once the current Coronavirus Pandemic dies down and places start opening up again!

Long Eared Owl

I'm also just starting out with photography, I figured it was about time I started to keep something a bit nicer than a written record. I'm no pro, not by a long shot (pun definitely intended), but hoping to pick it up as I go and see what happens. Photos will either be from a Canon SX70 or my phone (sometimes hooked up with a telescope).

Slow Worm

I hope you guys enjoy, I don't know how often I'll be updating just yet, got a full time job to balance everything around but we'll see!